Our recap and review of "The Auditors," episode 12, unfolds with a heart-stopping turn as Dae-woong's quick thinking leads him to call the police, heroically rescuing both Head Choi and Shin Cha-il from a perilous situation. His chance encounter with the location, while tailing Se-woong, sets in motion a chain of events that sends Choi to the hospital's brink while Cha-il, fueled by righteous indignation, halts the funeral proceedings. The urgency propels the team, Han-soo and Seo-jin included, into a race against time towards the temple.
At the hospital, Cha-il's accusations against Dae-woong, casting him as the president's assassin, ignite a firestorm. With the added fuel of Dae-woong's sister-in-law's animosity, an autopsy is swiftly arranged. This calculated move, hatched between Dae-woong and Cha-il, serves as a strategic chess move in their larger game.
Their subsequent meeting with Choi's distraught wife hits a roadblock as Se-woong's ironclad rules allow only her to see Choi. The tense atmosphere thickens when the police summon Dae-woong for deeper interrogation, a lighter found in the late president's chambers casting a suspicious shadow over him. The autopsy report, a damning piece of evidence, uncovers traces of a deadly drug, undeniably pointing to foul play.
Amidst this turmoil, Cha-il suffers a setback, stripped of his audit team status and relegated to the support ranks. News of Choi's demise reaches Se-woong and his allies like a thunderclap, sparking a flurry of machinations. Shin Cha-il, armed with damning evidence of bribes received by the undersecretary, confronts him, demanding justice for Dae-woong.
Se-woong, ever the manipulative master, swiftly convenes a special stakeholder meeting, orchestrating a coup to oust Dae-woong from his vice-presidential perch. He masterfully paints Dae-woong as the architect of the company's downfall, leveraging the murder allegations as his deadliest weapon. As the motion gains momentum, Dae-woong and Cha-il arrive, stage left, ready to upend the narrative.
Cha-il, his moment of truth arrived, exposes Se-woong's true colors as the mastermind behind the slush fund scandal. He unleashes a barrage of evidence, including Head Choi's revelations and incriminating phone recordings, shattering the carefully constructed facade of innocence around Se-woong. The air crackles with tension as the truth, at long last, begins to unravel.
Head Choi, vibrant and alive, graces the meeting with his arrival, exposing a shocking revelation: Se-woong had plotted his assassination. It transpires that Shin Cha-il, with foresight, had forewarned Choi of the impending danger, and together, they devised a covert plan to document Se-woong's failed murder attempt. The police swiftly intervene, apprehending Se-woong. As he's escorted away, Cha-il queries his motivations, and Se-woong reveals a noble yet misguided intention: to purge the company of corruption.
In the aftermath, Dae-woong ascends to the presidency, while Cha-il tenders his resignation, declaring his mission accomplished. A hidden truth unfolds—Se-woong's initial attempt on Choi's life, leading to the latter's hospitalization, was deliberate, though he feigns ignorance to Dae-woong's inquiry during a prison visit, claiming it an unfortunate accident.
The audit team gathers for a poignant farewell party, acknowledging Cha-il's impending departure. As he exits, Cha-il symbolically passes the torch to Han-soo, sharing a heartfelt tale of personal tragedy: his father's life cut short in a corruption-fueled industrial mishap, a consequence of his own inexperience as a fledgling auditor. He warns Han-soo against blind trust in the auditing world, where decisions carry the weight of human lives.
Months pass, witnessing Han-soo's transformation into an auditor par excellence, embodying Cha-il's unwavering work ethic. Meanwhile, Seo-jin, fulfilling her bargain with Dae-woong, finds herself in a new department. The narrative concludes on a triumphant note, with Shin Cha-il being enlisted by the esteemed Director of the Board of Audit and Inspection of South Korea, marking a new chapter in his illustrious career.
